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Matthew 21:28-32 English Standard Version (ESV) 28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.
MEYER, HEINRICH, AUGUST, WILHELM (1884-1887) Meyer's Commentary on the New Testament, New York, Funk and Wagnalls.
Meyer cited:
'The publicans and harlots are represented by the first mentioned son; for previous to the days of John they refused to obey the divine call in answer to the command to serve Him, which God addressed to them through the law and the prophets, they practically said: ('I will not' translated from Greek), but when John appeared they accorded him the faith of their hearts, so that, in conformity with his preaching, they were now amending their ways, and devoting themselves to the service of God.
The members of the Sanhedrin are represented by the second son; for, while pretending to yield obedience to the law of God revealed in the Scriptures by the submissive airs which they assumed, they practically uttered the insincere ('I will go, Lord' translated from the Greek), they in reality disregarded it, and, unlike the publicans and the harlots, they would not allow themselves to be influenced by the movement that followed the preaching of the Baptist, so that neither the efforts of John nor the example of the publicans and harlots had any effect upon them in the way of producing conversion.'
COURSON, JON (2005) Application Commentary, Thomas Nelson, Nashville.
Courson cited:
'Jesus likened the prostitutes and publicans (tax-collectors, from the ESV) to the first son. They seemed unlikely candidates to receive John's message, but receive it they did.' On the other hand, like the second son, the pseudo-religious scribes and Pharisees gave only lip service to the preaching of John.' Courson (158).
Devotional
Conflicting Kingdoms
The first group of tax-collectors and prostitutes were within the actual Kingdom of God, as although their fallen and corrupted nature led to disobedience to God, eventually God was trusted and obeyed in faith. Therefore, these people were covered by the applied righteousness of God preached by John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. Practically these social outcasts grew in godliness as new members of the Kingdom of God. They now also had everlasting life, by grace through faith, within the future culminated Kingdom.
The second group of Hebrew religious leaders were excluded from the actual Kingdom of God, because although they claimed to worship in divine truth and righteousness, the God of the Old Testament, and used the Old Testament within their form of Judaism, these religious leaders depended on their own religious system, religious righteousness and spirituality. This was a false representation of whom God actually is. These religious leaders claimed allegiance and obedience to God, but in actuality rejected the God of the Old Testament by rejecting progressive divine revelation from the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ and the actual, divine righteousness they represent.
The Judaism of these leaders fused the teachings of the Old Testament and Mosaic Law with religious rules and social norms which made the divine work of God, void in their lives. Therefore, they naturally rejected the forerunner of the Messiah and the Messiah, himself. Practically, these people were ungodly and part of a false Kingdom of God.
We can grant that some in Judaism were true to the Old Testament, in true faith and are in the Kingdom. These people would have accepted Jesus Christ as the Messiah if they existed in his time or later.
True faith in God, through Jesus Christ, is equated with true imputed (attributed) divine righteousness and salvation, and not necessarily religiosity.
